I’ve read that the average family does about 400 loads of laundry each year. When I consider that I currently have no less than 4 baskets of laundry just waiting to be washed, that comes as no surprise. Whites, colors, blacks, towels and sheets – sometimes it seems like there’s always something to be washed.
When you’re spending that much time doing laundry, you want to make sure that 1) you’re using a quality detergent to get your clothes clean (because it’s not fun having to re-wash clothes that still appear dingy) and 2) your laundry space is organized so you can easily store and find what you need. I have a closet that is next to the laundry sink where I have my detergents, fabric softeners, those little fragrance enhances, bleach, and other various laundry-related items stored. This was a big upgrade from my last house where I had a shelf. Yes, ONE shelf that was above the washing machine. Organized that shelf was not.
Decorator and blogger Jenny Komenda has shared a few suggestions on how you can create a more efficient and enjoyable space in your laundry room, including taking off cabinet doors to open up space and adding pops of color by painting the inside of cabinets.
We have a few DIY projects around the house that I want to do, and sprucing up the laundry room just made the list. I love the suggestion of adding a slab on top of the washer and dryer to make a folding station. Fortunately, Home Depot is nearby and they have everything I need to give the laundry room a mini-makeover – from paint and storage items to cleaning products and decor.
#BrilliantHEClean Sweepstakes
Tide and Maytag have teamed up to bring us an amazing sweepstakes, where one lucky winner will receive an e-design consultation by Jenny, a Maytag Washer and Dryer, a year’s supply of Tide and $5,000. Plus, 10 runner-ups will win a year’s supply of Tide (that’s a lot of Tide that I could definitely use for those 400 loads of laundry!)
To enter the Brilliant Clean sweepstakes, just head over to www.tideandmaytag.com and fill in the form to enter!
The WiC Project P&G, Tide & Home Depot Giveaway
The Prize:
One winner will receive a prize pack which includes Tide samples and a $50 Home Depot gift card.
Disclaimer: This post consists of my (and/or fellow tester) opinions only. Your experiences may be different. No compensation was given for this review/giveaway. I did receive a free product from the manufacturer or their representing PR agency to use and test for the purposes of this review. This did not affect the outcome of this review.
Always do at least one load of laundry a day so you never have to deal with Mount Washmore.
Don’t procrastinate. Don’t forget about the items in the dryer too.
I use a dishwashing soap pack for extra soiled clothes.
Remove clothes that are prone to wrinkles before they are completely dry .. thank you
My tip is to add Lavender oil to linens rinse cycle for fresh scent.
One tip is to take the clothing out of the dryer immediately after it’s done drying to prevent wrinkles!
my laundry tip is one I got from someone else: take you laundy dryer sheets and cut them in half and use only 1/2 for each load to make them last twice as long
We use a personalized mini tote from Thirty One gifts that says “lost socks” for all of our lost socks 🙂 Looks cuter than just a pile on the washer
demureprincess7(at)gmail(dot)com
Might be a simple tip, but having shelves in your laundry area can really help keep things tidy, and avoid having a bunch of stuff sitting on your washer and dryer 😉 Thanks for the chance
Hang a simple line along an unused wall to hang dry items like swimwear and lingerie.
jtmagmom73(at)gmail(dot)com
If you have a front loading machine, be sure to not let water sit and to leave the door open when not running to dry out well or you will get mold!
I do laundry many different days instead of all in one day. I like to be able to wash, dry, and fold it all and not let it pile up.
get your clothes out of the dryer as soon as they are dry. if your forget put dryer on fluff air for just a few minutes and get the wrinkles out.
Teach your kids to help out with laundry from an early age. This is something I did NOT do and now my teenagers struggle with laundry.
install shelves to keep detergent and other bottles used for the laundry right near the washer and dryer
Put up laundry first change you have so you don’t give the clothes a chance to wrinkle.
pretreat bad stains.
check out youtube videos on japanese way of folding shirts, no lines, its great, how i fold t shirts
Clean your washer with vinegar a couple times a year.
Vintage laundry items like wash boards, wood ironing boards etc. hung on the wall really add a farmhouse touch for those who decorate in a country feel
My tip is to make it a shared chore – mom, dad, and kids all help.
Dont leave clothes in washer or dryer overnight
Tip: Add 1/2 cup of white, distilled vinegar to the last rinse cycle of a load to act as a natural fabric softener.
Get the kids to help out.
Take clothes out immediately out of the dryer when the cycle ends – less ironing to do.
We have small baskets to sort laundry as it is dirtied so on laundry day we don’t have to.
Pinch the corners of the top and center to fold it quickly.
Have a special small basket for laundry that needs additional attention: a stain treated, a button sewn back on, a hem re-stitched. That way, the special attention that’s needed won’t be forgotten in the general mass of laundry.
To get grass stains out: Brush any excess grass off the fabric. Pour Tide® liquid laundry detergent on the stain and let it sit for 20 minutes, then wash in warm water with Tide®. If stain remains, repeat steps before drying.
Don’t try folding laundry around toddlers.
Don’t fold laundry with little kids around, they might undo all the folded laundry.
I have a wall-mounted TV in the laundry room to make folding clothes less boring.
pretreat bad stains and i make folding piles for each member of my family that way they dont get mixed up.
my laundry tip is to wash everything in cold – it gets clothes just as clean, and saves $
Don’t let your laundry pile up because then you’ll be overwhelmed.
Play music when doing laundry.
Thanks for the contest.
My tips is this: Keep it clean & organized. AND, remove loads from the washer & dryer WHEN THEY’RE DONE. This makes it more inviting or at least not overwhelming when it’s time to do laundry again. Because it will ALWAYS be time to do laundry again.
Shake out laundry before putting in the dryer helps with wrinkles
always check the pockets! twice.
Give everyone a job! I do the laundry and fold it and my hubby puts it away
Organize, organize, organize! Keep bins for each member of the family.
I hung up a closet pole, so when I take clothes out of the dryer, they go right on a hanger and hung up. I also have different colored laundry baskets for each member of the house…so I can put it right in their basket!
I take my tees,blended fabric tops out before completely dry.I hang them on a clothes rod my husband installed above washer and dryer.This saves a little on my electric bill and wrinkles fall out as they dry.
I have 3 boys a father in law and my husband and myself to wash clothes for so I have a schedule taped to my dryer and now everyone knows when their day is and brings me their clothes to wash. I will do an extra load only if necesary (the list includes sheets and towels too)
My tip is to take the clean laundry out of the dryer as soon as it is done, so it won’t wrinkle!
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 at gmail dot com
Get the whole family involved. My biggest helper is my 2 year old who loves to toss the clean clothes at me as fast as I can fold them.
When towels smell musty add white vinegar to the mix
My tip is to keep bins in the laundry room so you can easily sort clothes by their color.
Don’t let your laundry pile up. Instead of doing a ton in one day, spread it out !
my tip is to put laundry into the same number of baskets as floors in the home, so when putting it away you head right to the level
Don’t mix your towels with your clothes in the wash unless you want towel-fuzzies all over your clothes!
My best tip is to put a rubber band around stains if you are not treating right away so you know where it is and can treat right before washing.
Stay on top of it & don’t get behind.
I do laundry every 3 days so I don’t get buried in it.
Do at least one load of laundry every day. It piles up!!
My favorite tip is to add vinegar to each load. It is a natural deodorizer and it makes everything so soft!
I have a closet pole mounted above my washer and dryer. I can line dry or immediately hang them up from the dryer.
put a damp towel in the dryer with the wet clothes and they will dry faster
Have a laundry organizer so you can easily sort the laundry.
take dress shirts out of the dryer right away to prevent wrinkles
If you hang dry your clothes (we do it inside) it your clothes don’t wear out as fast.
fold right away so they dont get wrinkled
make sure you use the right setting for your clothes so you dont be too hard on certain clothes
I use a flipfold to help fold my laundry! it works great!
make your own laundry detergent with borax and save money
we keep two laundry bags in our bathroom. one for colored clothes and the other for whites. Everyone in the family puts their clothes in the white or colored bags. Makes laundry time a little easier.
coupon/sale match for detergents and fold laundry right away to prevent wrinkles
teach your kids and have them doing laundry well before you send them off to college.
My dryer offers a ‘less dry’ setting which manages to get the majority of clothing dried. Once you hang them up.the collars for example quickly dry
To save money, hang out your clothes (instead of putting them in the dryer) on nice, warm days.
I also use a dish washing pod for extra cleaning power for towels and sheets
Have a flat folding area in the laundry room makes folding easier.
once its out of the dryer, fold it, don’t wait or you’ll end up piling up
Lestoil works great for getting grease stains out of clothes.
always wash at night, to save money on energy and use cold water too.
You don’t need nearly as much soap in the cap as they say on the bottle. Use less to save money.
Even with allegedly color-safe bleaches, it’s still not wise to mix colors and whites.
Wash cold and lay flat to dry. Drying in the dryer uses too much electricity and shrinks your clothes.
I have found that putting a bit of Tide directly onto stains and rubbing it in, works REAL good for pre-treatment, without having to buy special stain pre-treaters.
To prevent wrinkles I take my clothes directly out of the dryer and hang up
annabella @ centurytel dot net
We have a cabinet where we store our laundry detergent.
Pretreat grease and grass stains as soon as possible it will make them easier to get out
Use a used a dryer sheet to dust with. It works great to wipe the washer and dryer off with. Thank you!
My tip is to hang dry items prone to wrinkles, I also lay pants flat to dry so they don’t shrink just in case!
When decorating your laundry room use bright and cheerful colors. Make sure the space is one that brings cheer to your life so that laundry is enjoyable and doesn’t seem like a chore. Maybe include a speaker to play music or even a small television.
Keep everything you need on a shelf over the washer and dryer so it’s handy. Thanks.
I pretreat grease and dirt stains with backing soda as soon as possible so it will make them easier to remove.
Try to fold your laundry as soon as it is done drying, to prevent wrinkles.
I soak a wash cloth in fabric softener and let it dry. Then I use it instead of dryer sheets. It lasts a long time and makes the laundry smell good.
I have a separate laundry basket for the white so that I don’t have to separate them
Salt can get blood out of clothing.
Add a 1/2 cup baking soda to extra stinky laundry, it helps remove odor!
Line dry your clothes, it saves a lot of money.
When you put wet clothes in the dryer right after you’ve finished a previous load, it takes advantage of the leftover heat.
I hang shirts and blouses to dry right on the hangers (outside) and i never put rugs in the dryer-they all hang dry outside (or even inside during winter). thanks for such a great giveaway!
I put a post it note on the washer top if there is anything in the wash that shouldn’t go in the dryer listing what it is, so hubby doesn’t accidentally shrink things!
My tip is to try to stay on top of things as much as possible. It’s so easy for this area to get wildly out of control.
I wash everything on cold so it doesn’t shrink and the colors don’t fade. I’ve found it best to use detergent meant for cold water washing.
My laundry tip is to have all the kids turn their clothes the right side out, unbunch their socks, etc, before they toss them into the hamper.
My laundry affirmation is that there is NOTHING wrong with re-drying, sometimes stuff just happens to get left.
😉
my mpm uses a clip on timer (kitchen timer) that beeps when laundry is done, so theres no re-drying. I try to liver by that standard
A laundry room has to have plenty of storage to make it organized and clean!
We hang a small shoe rack on the door of the laundry room to put missing socks etc in until we find the others.
Thanks for the chance.
mogrill12@gmail.com
Dont wash everything the minute you wear it, especially jeans and jackets..they can go a couple of wears.
Remove from dryer tight away to avoid wrinkles and put your clothes away!
Pre treat any stain and let sit over night.
Remember to clean out your dryer lint, fires start from that!
fold your clothes immediately after taking them put of the dryer!
I run my washer on the rinse cycle with baking soda once a month after sons stinky work clothes
I love the way Fabric Softener makes my clothes feel & smell!
I usually take everything out of the dryer immediately and fold it. If you let it sit there, the clothes get rumpled and wrinkled.
I use multiple hampers to pre-separate whites and colors, and to make sure I know items that need special care (like ones that need to be washed in cold water or ones that can’t go in the dryer), I mark the tags with a dot using a permanent marker as a reminder!
I always either start a load in the washer or pop a load in the dryer right before bed that way when I get up I have a load ready to be folded or put in the dryer…always stay a step ahead of the game
Make sure to hang everything up as soon as you’re done so you don’t leave it laying around. Also make sure not to forget the soap. LOL!
Thanks for the giveaway! =)
If, say, someone puts a wet towel, and it gets musty smelling, put white vinegar in the rinse water. That will take the smell out.
For smelly clothes/towels etc and you don’t want to use ammonia. Use Mr clean liquid and add some to the usual detergent in the wash. Everything comes out smelling wonderful
Always tackle stains immediately! It makes life SO much easier once you’re doing laundry. Less clothes ruined.
I use the vinegar trick in the washer and always have your kids help and learn early as possible for it’s taken for granite.
Never leave wet clothes in the washer too long because they will start to mildew.
I like to hang our clothes up right out of the dryer to prevent those deep set wrinkles that are so hard to get out.
I like to hang our clothes up right out of the dryer to prevent those deep set wrinkles that are so hard to get out.
take clothes out right after dryer stops
Try to fold your laundry as soon as it is done drying, to prevent wrinkles.
My tip is soap really dirty laundry for ten minutes in the washer.
Spray dirty spots on your laundry with stain remover before hand!
Cleaning the lint out of the dryer before each load cuts down on the drying time.
I always examine my clothes for spots and stains when I take them off and keep a stain stick in the bathroom to treat them right away.
twitted this today, 17/08
Its best to always get the clothes out of the dryer (as soon as they are dry) now instead of later to avoid wrinkles in clothes.
i always leave a lot of hangers near my washer and dryer, so i can hang things up right out of the dryer.
Don’t let laundry pile up – it’s much easier to deal with small piles than huge ones.
Try to do your laundry every three days so it doesn’t pile up.
Have a three basket laundry basket so the kids can sort as they change.
Hang dry whenever possible
Remove clothing from the dryer immediately when it’s done drying to prevent wrinkles.
dishwashing soap works for bad stains
I always set my phone timer so I don’t end up letting laundry sit in the washer too long.
Everyone in our washes their own laundry so it never really gets a chance to pile up.
I use Tide for my washer. But pretreating stains with Era detergent works great. I dab it on the spot, rub it in and let it sit until I am ready to wash. It is cheaper than pretreater and works perfectly.
jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com
I sort my laundry. Whites, colors, darks, jeans, towels and sheets.
My tip is to make sure that socks are turned the right way out before washing to help with effective cleaning.
Don’t forget the clothes in the washer.
Dawn dish soap gets out grease stains great.
wash in cold water to save money
never overstuff the machines, the clothes dont get completely cleaned when you do that
I keep a separate basket for whites, colors, and towels. Saves time on separating.
Grease stains often disappear when you rub in a paste of Dawn dishwashing liquid and baking soda.
Take clothes out of the dryer as soon as they are done to prevent wrinkles!
Leave a jar or tray in laundry area to put items from pockets.
I have a HE washer, and I use washer cleaner at least once a month to keep away the funky smells.
don’t forget to empty out all pockets before throwing things in the wash!
i have a shelf in my laundry room that is wire, and enables me to hang clothes to dry from it. i love that it is multi function
I pretreat heavy stains!
we use stackable bins to help store detergents, fabric softener, etc
If you by accident leave your clothes in the dryer to long and they get wrinkles. Wet a washcloth and toss it in the dryer with the clothes and run it for ten minutes. The wrinkles will be gone.
I think life is easier when everyone has there own hamper
Pre treat any stain and let sit over night.
i like the way there used baskts for storage
I make sure I don’t have anything in the dryer before I lay down for a nap so it doesn’t get wrinkled
Keep that laundry caught up so stains don’t set!
be careful not to add too much detergent when washing!
always zip jeans up before washing, they can tear other pairs
Always empty the pockets of any pants or shirts before putting them in the laundry!
Dont leave clothes in the washer
Remove clothes from the dryer immediately and fold or hang. 🙂 Thank you.
Remove clothes from the dryer immediately and fold or hang. 🙂 Thank you.
When we replaced our kitchen cabinets, we moved all the old ones to the laundry room. I love the storage I have now!
Use environmentally friendly laundry detergent!
I use my dryer sheets to clean the lint tray
treat stains ASAP
treat stains ASAP
My daughter is allergic to perfumes so I use the homemade laundry soap recipes found online. They are great and save money!!
I keep a dry towel in the laundry room to toss into the dryer with every load. It cuts down on drying time.
I have my girls up me with the laundry to save time
I use the used laundry sheets for dusting
Do laundry throughout the week so that it doesn’t pile up!
I keep all laundry supplies in a tote so that they are able to be stored in the closet and quick to pull out for use.
If you’re not close to the washer as your clothes wash, set a timer so you remember to take them out and put them in the dryer. There sin’t anything worse than forgetting clothes in the washer. Yuck!
i like to save my laundry for the weekend and then get it done in one big swoop!
I love my rolling laundry assistant for hanging clothes, $10 at family dollar.
Check your pockets well! The men in my house are horrible about leaving things in their pockets.
Hang your t-shirts for less wrinkles, less ironing.
teach your kids how to help out with laundry–it can be a fun, family affair!
Take all dirty laundry directly to the laundry room and place in sorting bins.
Always pre-treat tough stains.
Don’t let it sit in the dryer too long, otherwise you will have to iron too! 😉
Hang dry must shirts. Less drying time and no wrinkles!
Use the amount of laundry soap recommended, more soap doesn’t clean better.
Wash and fold as you go! Dont let them pile up!
Thanks for the giveaway…an overnight soak will help remove 90% of stains.
I re-use dryer sheets to scent drawers.
My tip is to always have an extra folding table on hand in case laundry happens to pile up!
Try to do several loads of laundry at once. When you pop a pile of wet clothes in the dryer right after you’ve finished a previous load, it takes advantage of the leftover heat.
Always take the items out of the dryer before they dry and shake to avoid wrinkles.
presoak white socks overnight before washing
Each person in my house has a mesh bag to hold dirty socks, that way no socks ever go missing!